Eric Ngondi, 29, is a water and environmental engineer who owns and operates a consulting company in Nairobi, Kenya. After losing his vision three years ago in an accident, he has become an advocate who educates his community about people with disabilities.
“I want to be visible,” he said of his mission. “I want to motivate and inspire others, just touch their lives. I want to show the community how a person with disability or blindness can participate in the daily activities in an office, school or church.”
He is one of 25 African scholars who are calling FIU home for the next few weeks as part of President Obama’s Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. During their visit, the scholars will receive leadership training that will help them in their work advocating for human rights, access to education and water sanitation, among other issues. They accomplish their work through governmental offices, ministries and non-governmental organizations.
“FIU has a deep commitment to international research projects, including our Global Waters for Sustainability Program (GLOWS), which created visibility for our work in several different African countries. We look forward to more programs on the continent,” said Andres Gil, vice president for research at FIU. “Being chosen as the only university in Florida to host the YALI Washington fellows this year is a great honor and we hope that their experience here will help affect positive change in their home countries.”
FIU was chosen by the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) through a competitive process to be one of only 20 Washington Fellowship host institutions that represent the excellence and diversity of U.S. higher education. FIU’s program focuses specifically on public management.
Participants in the Washington Fellowship are 500 young leaders from Sub-Saharan Africa who have a proven record of accomplishment in promoting innovation and positive change in their organizations, institutions, or communities.
The Washington Fellowship is the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) whose goal is to empower young African leaders through academic coursework, leadership training, mentoring, networking, professional opportunities, and support for activities in their communities. Fellows will also come together in Washington, D.C., in late July for a Presidential Summit.
Wonderful News. Congratulations to the students and FIU.
As an FIU Instructional Designer, I would love to assist in areas that I can such as computer lab assistance, success mentoring of any kind but I also would like to gravitate into this line of work; to assist & educate persons with and/or without disabilities, ” that would help them in their work advocating for human rights, access to education and water sanitation”.
Impressive, work hard guys and good luck in all your efforts.
Hi Bugzy….Love you
Mom
I love this program
This is a great program that gives a valuable experience to immensely talented African scholars. Great exposure and networking opportunity. Congratulations to the YALI fellows!
Our capacities are extraordinary and our ideas inspiring and our moral consciousness entirely compelling .
Eric, I will love to meet you, and give you the most inspirational story about my Advocacy. I am blind and lost my vision about 4 years ago, and fighting for blind and visually impaired to be recognized in all the work we do, like you say, we are the same, and do the same but we do it with different tools!! The best of luck to you!
I will be part of this program, been the Service Animal Campaign for guide Dogs, what and Honor, FIU, just send me the invitation. Perseverance is the word and the Volunteer…